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 Sword Dynasty (剑王朝)

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It’s a great drama!!! I highly recommend it!!!

BEWARE OF SPOILERS!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 

Title: Sword Dynasty (剑王朝)
# of Episodes: 34
Release Date: December 6th, 2019
Where to Watch: iQiyi App

Why did I start watching this?

I’m a big fan of wuxia dramas, and of Li Yi Tong’s!!!

Plot/Synopsis Recap

10 years after the death of Liang Jing Meng, leader of the Bashan Sword Field, the Kingdom of Heng has been living under the tyranny of Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen. With Liang Jing Meng dead and the Bashan Sword Field destroyed, the only thing that the two seek now is the Gushan Martial Arts manual. However, the manual is hidden away and the only one who knows how to find it is Bai Shan Shui from Yun Shui Palace.

But while the search for the Gushan Martial Arts manual is on, a sudden surge of murders start happening within Fengming. All those who had once betrayed the Bashan Sword Field are getting killed one by one, and the killer is none other than a nameless disciple of Liang Jing Meng’s. With his appearance, Ye Zhen orders Ye Ce Leng to find who the unknown man is and kill him….

And that’s s wrap! Lot of things actually happen, but that’s pretty much what takes place in the beginning of episode 1.

Cast/Characters

Ding Ning (丁宁), Li Xian
The last disciple of Liang Jing Meng. He is the only one to inherit the Nine Death Silkworm martial arts from his master. After Liang Jing Meng’s death, he is taken in by Zhangsun Qian Xue and the two open up a wine restaurant in Fengming in order to plan their revenge against Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen. He was born with mysterious disease which makes it hard for him to cultivate. Despite his illness, he is a talented genius and plots his way into becoming a disciple in the Bai Yang Cave Sect to cultivate and help him recover from his illness.

Zhangsun Qian Xue (长孙浅雪), Li Yi Tong
The last surviving member from the Gongsun family. Her family was sentenced to death due to Liang Jing Meng, and she’s been harboring hatred towards him. When she goes to search for him, she ends up finding a young Ding Ning. She pities him and takes him under her care. She and Ding Ning run a wine restaurant together and she often runs it while Ding Ning goes off on his adventures to cultivate. Despite her cold exterior, she cares deeply for Ding Ning and she will rush to his aid when he is in trouble.

Ye Ce Leng (夜策冷), Zhao Yuan Yuan
One of Liang Jing Meng’s disciples and a member of the Bashan Sword Field. She is a high official in Fengming. She is called back by Ye Zhen from overseas and is tasked in charge of finding Liang Jing Meng’s last disciple. However, even though she serves Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen, her loyalty lies with Liang Jing Meng and the Bashan Sword Field, and she has been searching for a way to seek revenge for her master.

Yuan Wu (元武), Liu Yi Jun
The Emperor of Heng. He was once Liang Jing Meng’s best friend and comrade, but he betrays his friend when he orders his death. He is power-hungry and will not back down until he becomes the most powerful person.

Ye Zhen (叶甄), Yao Di
She was part of the Bashan Sword Field and is Liang Jing Meng’s former lover. However, she betrays him in favor of Yuan Wu. With Yuan Wu, Ye Zhen becomes the Empress of Heng, and runs the country alongside him.

Liang Jing Meng (梁惊梦), Peter Ho
The leader of the Bashan Sword Field. He was a renowned hero who was admired by many. He was the first to lend his hand to Yuan Wu to help him establish the Heng Kingdom. However, he eventually gets betrayed by his friend and lover and dies.

Xue Wang Xu (薛忘虚), Li Guang Fu
Sect Leader of Bai Yang Cave Sect. He is an old man who has a love for adventure and thrill. He takes a strong interest in Ding Ning because of his genius abilities, and decides to use the remaining years of his life to help Ding Ning become a powerful martial artist.

Bai Shan Shui (白山水), Zhang Wei Na
A leader from the Yun Shui Palace from another kingdom. After the establishment of the Heng kingdom, her kingdom fell and her people became separated. Because she holds the key to the Gushan Martial Arts manual, Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen are actively trying to hunt her down.

Yuan Zi Chu (元子初), Liu Yi Chen
Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen’s son and Crown Prince of Heng. Unlike his parents, Yuan Zi Chu is kindhearted and innocent. He has lived his entire life behind the walls of the palace. However, he wants to leave and experience the world by himself. He takes an interest in Ding Ning and actively pursues him to be his friend.

Jiang Li (姜黎), Liu Kai
Eldest disciple of the Bai Yang Cave Sect. He is strong and powerful but lacks conviction. However, his kindness and soft heart makes up for his lack of ambition.

Nangong Cai Shu (南宫采菽), Chen Ting Xuan
A disciple from Qing Teng Sword Academy. She is the first to stand up for Ding Ning when he gets admitted into the Bai Yang Cave Sect. She also quickly befriends him and helps aid him.

There’s lots of characters in this drama, but these are the major characters so far…!

Overall Impression

So far, I am really loving this drama. It’s very nostalgic to me. It reminds me of wuxia dramas from the past, granted it is produced by renowned director Feng Xiao Gang. However, the more I watch the action scenes and the scenery of the drama set, the more it makes me think about wuxia dramas in the past (Legend of the Condor Heroes, Return of the Condor Heroes, etc…). Not to mention, the drama also has a young genius boy who rises through cultivation levels like it’s nothing, and the only thing that’s on his mind is getting revenge for his deceased master. To top it off, there’s even a martial arts manual that, literally, everyone wants to get their hands on. I mean, this is clearly a classic setting for a wuxia genre.

So, anyway, the main character is Ding Ning. Ding Ning is a young boy who works as a tavern boy with his “aunt” (aka caretaker) Zhangsun Qian Xue. For the past ten years, both of them have been plotting to get revenge for Liang Jing Meng. However, despite their similar goals, their reasons are quite different. Ding Ning is the last disciple of Liang Jing Meng’s. His identity is unknown to everyone, but he is the only one who Liang Jing Meng passed his Nine Death Silkworm martial arts to. Prior to his death, Liang Jing Meng tells Ding Ning to seek revenge for him, which is why Ding Ning embarks on the path of revenge. However, Zhangsun Qian Xue’s reason for revenge is completely different. Her family had once pledged allegiance to Liang Jing Meng and the Bashan Sword Field. And, because of this, once Liang Jing Meng become implicated, her family also met their downfall. She blames her family’s death on Liang Jing Meng and regrets that she wasn’t able to kill him herself. However, she shifts her hatred to Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen, as the two were also responsible for her family’s demise.

If you haven’t noticed already, the thing that drives this story forward is the thirst for revenge. Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qian Xue are both characters who actively pursue their plans to kill Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen, but there are also other characters who are driven by the same goal. For the past ten years, those were once affiliated with the Bashan Sword Field have been living in torment. Many of them have joined Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen and become powerful officials, but others have had to live in shame and guilt. One of them is Ye Ce Leng. Despite having a high position in court, Ye Ce Leng’s loyalty lies in her former master. She detests herself for not being able to save Liang Jing Meng is lives every day hating herself for having to bow down to his murderers. On the other hand, Bai Shan Shui has never been affiliated with the Bashan Sword Field, but had her kingdom destroyed because of Yuan Wu and Ye Zhen. Her path for revenge quite different, but her goal is aligned to Ding Ning’s.

Anyway, even though Sword Dynasty is really driven by its revenge plot, there’s actually quite a lot more to the drama. For instance, while there’s plenty of sad moments, there’s also plenty of happy and comedic moments. And this is where we really get to see Ding Ning shine. His interactions with his master, Xue Wang Xu, is just adorable and it’s so heartwarming that the old man took Ding Ning under his wing. Despite born an orphan (I believe), Ding Ning has really good look with finding people to help and support him. Liang Jing Meng took his as his disciple, Zhangsun Qian Xue took on the responsibility of helping him grow up, and Xue Wang Xu makes it his last wish to help Ding Ning cure his illness. And with Xue Wang Xu’s guidance, Ding Ning gets to meet other young talents and become friends with them. One thing that I foresee happening, and one thing that Zhangsun Qian Xue has already slightly touched on, is that Ding Ning’s growing relationship with Xue Wang Xu might affect his plans for revenge. For his new master, he’s already had to backtrack on a few plans. And with things going at the rate that it is now, Ding Ning’s plans for revenge might get disrupted, and, if it does, it’ll most likely cause a rupture with his relationship with Zhangsun Qian Xue.

Overall, I’m enjoying this drama a lot. I love watching Li Xian and Li Yi Tong together. Although I’m not entirely sold in their pairing yet, I do think their characters are interesting. I’ve been very impressed by Li Yi Tong’s acting so far. She’s outgrown her childish and bubbly characters, and really stepped up in this role. I haven’t even seen her fully smile in the drama yet (which she is known for)! But, anyway, the drama is set at 34 episodes (which is actually quite short!). So, I’m kind of sad that it’ll get done soon. But I do hope that we get more romance scenes between the two leads!!! I can’t wait to see them start actually falling in love!